


He Doesn't Like Me!

by Emme2589



Series: Just Call And I'll Be There [7]
Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Friendship, Gay Panic, Idiots in Love, Just Kiss Already!, Light Angst, Light-Hearted, M/M, Mutual Pining, Selectively Mute Henry Stickmin, Sign Language, Silly, Special BROvert Ops Ending | SBO (Henry Stickmin), i dont know what i did to ruperts accent okay dont ask, rated t because rupert swears like a sailor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27726782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emme2589/pseuds/Emme2589
Summary: In which Rupert and Dave are oblivious to the other's feelings, and Charles and Henry suffer for it.
Relationships: Charles Calvin/Henry Stickmin, Dave Panpa/Rupert Price
Series: Just Call And I'll Be There [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011435
Comments: 5
Kudos: 95





	He Doesn't Like Me!

Henry sighed as he relaxed against the bench in the prison cell. A part of him had considered just staying here and living out his sentence because he couldn't remember the last time he'd lived without hunger. He was being fed multiple times a day, and they were actual meals. They didn't taste great, but he could hardly bring himself to care about that. When you were used to being hungry, even concrete tasted like heaven.

Ultimately though, he wouldn't stay. Henry was like a bird in a birdcage. He knew he couldn't be truly happy here, so he needed to get out as soon as possible.

"Oi! You there!"

Henry lifted his head. Officer Rupert Price was leaning up against his door, his smug grin making Henry narrow his eyes at him.

Rupert pointed at him with a wink, "You're free to go!"

Henry's face lifted in surprise. Was this a trick?

Rupert laughed, "Not really, but you've got a package."

Henry rolled his eyes. Of course it was a trick. He hardly even looked at the package that sailed in through the mail slot in the door.

"Don't get ya hopes up." Rupert elbowed his companion, "We've already checked it for anything useful, haven't we, Dave?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah yeah yeah!" the other officer, Dave Panpa, rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously in response to Rupert's nudge, "Of _course_ I checked the package! I mean, if I _didn't_ check the package I'd lose my job and I don't wanna lose my job!"

Henry raised an eyebrow at their antics. They seemed more interested in each other than they were on the prisoners or anything else. He supposed he considered himself lucky that he was on the floor guarded by the most flirtatious idiots in the building.

He watched them walk away before he decided he should probably open that package.

***

Henry took a sip of his juice box in the cafeteria as he watched Rupert saunter up to Dave, still both in their respective military and security guard uniforms, before telling a joke under his breath that made Dave go completely red in the face. Of course, since going good, Henry had made the connection that "Private Price" was in fact the same Rupert Price that had stood outside his cell many times, and "Dave" was Dave Panpa, the officer who had failed to check his package in prison, and who had been a security guard at the museum where Henry had stolen the Tunisian Diamond. He found out later that his stunt had gotten a bunch of people fired, including Dave, so that's why he wasn't working there anymore.

He couldn't feel too bad about it, though. Dave clearly enjoyed it here more, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why, considering how he couldn't fight a smile in Rupert's presence.

If you had asked Henry just a few months ago if he trusted the military, he would have said absolutely not. They were just like cops, but more dressed up and just as malicious. As far as Henry was concerned, they were just an obstacle between him and what he wanted, which was usually a roof over his head, clothes on his back, and food in his belly.

Charles was the one who had changed his mind. The more Charles learned about his past, the more disturbed he became. Henry hadn't even realized that having self-harm scars was out of the ordinary until Charles looked at them in fear and concern. He was slowly realizing that people didn't hate criminals out of malice; They disliked them because they were seen as a threat, just like Henry had seen cops as a threat. The real problem was ignorance. Ignorance and rampant poverty.

That's why when Henry saw Rupert on base, he made it a point to just politely ignore him. He knew that Rupert couldn't have known how much he had suffered in the past, and from his perspective, although he liked to tease the prisoners, he had never done anything out of true malice; Just a duty he'd agreed to when he entered the force.

There was just one wrench in this agreement, and that was Dave.

"Hey, Henry." Charles sat next to him, "You're doing the thing again."

Henry mouthed a _What?_ at him.

"You know; The thing where you stare at Rupert and Dave. Do you guys know each other from somewhere?"

At this point in time, Rupert and Dave had never heard Henry speak. Rupert got close when Henry whispered to Charles during the airship mission, but it wasn't loud enough for him to hear. Henry had made polite conversation with Dave before, but it was mostly through miming and writing, since Dave didn't know much sign.

Henry brought Charles closer to him, quickly signing, "Are those two dating?"

Charles cocked his head towards the two men near the cafeteria door, "Rupert and Dave?"

Henry nodded.

"Actually..." Charles shrugged, "They aren't."

Henry could feel his face scrunch up in confusion as he looked back towards Rupert and Dave, who were standing very close together, the former making flirty eyes while the latter squirmed under the scrutiny, red-faced and wide-eyed.

"I know. It's confusing everyone on base." Charles replied, "And I should know. Rupert's been my best friend since grade school."

Henry stared at him in disbelief.

"He has!" Charles shoved him playfully, "I'm totally serious!"

Henry lifted his hands again, "So you knew him as a cop?"

"Uh...yes?" Charles scratched his head, "Hold on. How do _you_ know Rupert used to be a cop?"

Henry picked up his juice box again, averting his gaze as he took a slow sip.

"Whatever." Charles turned when he heard footsteps, "Hey! Rupert!"

"What's up, Charles?" Rupert lifted his hand for a high-five, "Didn't know ya'd be on base today!"

"Yup. Just wrapped up flight simulations with the newbies. Oh! Do you remember my boyfriend Henry? From the airship mission?"

Henry tried to keep his expression neutral as Rupert narrowed his eyes at him. Henry set his juice box down. Neither made a move to break the silence.

 _"I_ have!" Dave leaned on the table, "It's been awhile, though. I didn't know you were dating Charles!"

Henry's gaze moved to Dave, and he smiled as he lifted two fingers to his chin, bringing them down twice and following it up with, "As ever."

Charles tilted his head, "I don't think I know that one. What does it mean?"

Henry's smile widened as he finger spelled, "Cute." slow enough for them to follow.

He knew when Dave had gotten it, because he turned bright red, "Hey! Don't say that! I'm not..."

His eyes flicked up to Rupert before he quickly looked away.

"What? What'd 'e say?"

Charles chuckled, "Oh, don't worry about it."

"Bloody hell! I _knew_ it! I _knew_ ya were the same Henry!" Rupert glowered at him, "You're the cunt that hit me with a metal cage bar!"

Henry shrugged, as if to say, "Oh yeah. Whoopsie."

Charles balked, "I'm sorry, he did _what!?"_

"The General told you he escaped prison, right!?" Rupert rolled his eyes, "Who'd ya think got caught in the crossfire!?"

"Oh my god! Henry escaped from _your_ prison!?"

"How's 'e yer _boyfriend_ now, Charles!?"

"I don't know! Ask _him!"_

"Uh, guys?" Dave interjected, "Now probably isn't the time."

Charles sagged in his chair, "Whatever. It's in the past now, right?"

"Can ya just tell me if Henry is mute?" Rupert asked, "He was the only prisoner that never cursed me out."

"Oh, he's _selectively_ mute." Charles explained.

"So he _can_ talk. Huh. I never knew."

As the conversation continued, Henry cast his mind back to Rupert and Dave. He knew Dave at least in passing, and he never acted anything but calm when it was just the two of them, but when Rupert appeared, he became an anxious blushy mess. He was certain that _something_ was going on between them, but he knew he'd never figure it out with Rupert standing there.

Charles must have been thinking the same thing, because when Henry whispered something in his ear, he got all somber and serious as he nodded, no questions asked.

"Rupert, can you come with me for a second?" Charles eyed Dave sternly, "Alone?"

"Uh, sure." Rupert followed Charles from the cafeteria.

Henry tapped Dave's shoulder, gesturing for him to follow, and Dave matched his pace towards the opposite door.

***

"Alright, Rupert. Spill."

"What?" Rupert sat on the helipad, slightly elevated above the stairs to the roof, "Spill on what? I ain't gossipping about yer boyfriend, mate."

"What? No! _Ugh!"_ Charles hit his own face as he settled on the roof next to him, "I mean about you and Dave!"

Rupert barked out a laugh, "Oh, I see how it is. Ya think ya've got dirt on me, aye?"

"Rupert..." Charles fixed him with a serious glare, "You like him don't you?"

Rupert lost his smile, "What?"

"You like Dave." Charles said matter-of-factly, "As in, you have a crush."

Rupert scowled, his face flushed beneath his green cap and spiky black hair, "I don't have a crush on Dave!"

"Oh, you don't? Then why are you always flirting with him?"

"I flirt with everyone, Charles!"

"You don't flirt with me."

Rupert was about to retort, but instead, he gave a long sigh.

"You don't ever flirt with women, Rupert." Charles pointed out, "You once said you only flirt with people you actually have an interest in, and I have never _once_ in recent months seen you flirt with _anyone_ besides Dave."

"Okay, fine. Ya got me." Rupert frowned as he caved in, his head in his hands.

"Why try denying it?" Charles asked, "You know you can't lie to _me_ of all people."

"I know, but..." Rupert squeezed his hair between his fingers, "I...I think I was denying it myself too. Dave doesn't like me like that. Besides, I don't feel like I'm good enough for 'im. I don't wanna, like, ruin 'im."

Charles shook his head as he gave a heavy sigh, "Dave is like twenty seven. What are you afraid of ruining?"

Rupert didn't answer.

"Just talk. I beg of you. There's a misunderstanding, and you need to clear it up before someone gets hurt."

Rupert sat up, straightening his hat over his hair, "You're right. Is that why Henry ran off wit' Dave?"

"Yep. I wonder how that's working out for him."

***

Henry shut the door in the empty office. He grabbed a spare whiteboard and sat in one of the chairs, pulling another one out for Dave.

"Hey, Henry. What's going on?"

Dave was back to his usual self. Henry uncapped the dry erase marker and fought his instinct to write as fast as possible, instead focusing on making the words legible.

"Do you have a crush on Rupert?"

Dave hid his face in his hands, _"Is it really that obvious?"_

Henry tapped his shoulder so he knew to peek out between his fingers. After a moment of scrutinizing the security guard, totally deadpan, Henry nodded.

 _"Oh my god."_ Dave took his hat off to massage the top of his head, _"I'm so embarrassed. Why does Rupert keep doing that? Does he know too?"_

Henry erased the marker with his sleeve to write a new massage, "I doubt he does. He's pretty dense."

Dave took a moment to take a few calming breaths, "Can everyone else tell too? Ugh! I wish I could just tell him how I feel, but every time I try it's like my voice is caving in on itself! Sometimes I space out while he's talking because I'm thinking about kissing him! It's driving me crazy! Why does he have to make me so nervous!?"

Henry thought about how to reply. He couldn't relate to feeling nervous around a subject of desire. He fell for Charles because he made him feel safe, but he _had_ been nervous about confessing. If he had confessed and Charles had rejected him, he was sure he would have been heartbroken and embarrassed. What was on his side is that he was so much more afraid of Charles not only rejecting him as a _partner,_ but also as a _friend._ As long as he had him in some capacity, he knew he would recover, and that's what had given him the courage to confess.

Maybe Dave had an intense fear of rejection, intense enough even that it made him try and hide those feelings, which of course only made them stronger. Maybe he couldn't get over the _"what-if"_ s and _"but-what-about"_ s to the point where he was fighting with himself every time Rupert was in earshot. Maybe the fear was even so powerful that he thought if he was rejected, Rupert would be disgusted with him. It was unfounded, but it would explain why Dave would be so nervous around someone he liked.

So, with that in mind, Henry wrote on the whiteboard, "You're tearing yourself apart. You just need to say something."

"But I can't!" Dave pushed his hat down over his eyes, "I literally can't! You get it, don't you? You have selective mutism!"

Henry erased and rewrote once more, "And yet, I still find ways to communicate, and nobody cares. If you can't say it, then you should find some other way."

Dave was about to cry out in frustration, but at the last second, he stopped himself, "Wait. Henry, what's 'I love you' in sign language?"

Henry smiled, savoring this small victory. He capped the marker and set it aside, "Two ways." he signed. He pointed to himself, brought both arms up to cross over his chest with his fists closed, and then pointed at Dave.

"There's two ways? Is that the first?"

Henry nodded, repeating the action, but at his preferred pace.

"Oh. Okay. So, what's the second way?"

Henry lifted one hand, his middle and ring fingers curled towards his palm with his pointer finger, pinkie, and thumb extended outwards.

"Oh yeah! I remember that one!"

Henry nodded.

"Okay, so..." Dave repeated the first sign, "Like this..." and then the second, "And like this?"

Henry nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay. Awesome!" Dave took another deep breath, "Could you help me? Just like, push me if I try running."

Henry huffed out a laugh, uncapping the marker again to write, "Can I tell you a secret?"

Dave nodded, "Of course."

So, Henry set the marker and whiteboard aside before saying aloud, with his voice, "I actually can talk just fine, usually, but only with people I trust."

"Whoa!" Dave beamed, "Aw, you trust me, Henry? I love your voice!"

"Thank you." Henry stood up, pushing the chair back, "You won't tell anyone, right?"

"Not a soul!" Dave crossed a finger over his heart.

Henry took his phone out of his pocket, cocking his head towards the door.

"Oh, who is that?"

Henry showed him the screen. It was a text from Charles that read, _Are you done? I'm heading to the field with Rupert._

"Oh..." Dave tugged his hat on over his ears, "Am I doing this _now?"_

"You can do it." Henry pat Dave's shoulder, "Your crush is obvious to everyone besides him. You gotta be brave."

Dave slapped both sides of his face, "Okay. Okay, I can do this. Right. Let's go."

***

Charles pocketed his phone, "They're on their way."

Rupert paced, a worried frown on his face. It was so unlike him that Charles only barely recognized his friend. Rupert hadn't been this nervous since what, the fifth grade spelling bee?

"Dude, chill." Charles said in an annoyed tone, "Chances are, he's more nervous than you since Henry pulled him away."

"What if 'e don't like me like that?"

"Rupert..."

"I'm 'boutta go _off,_ Charles!"

"Rupert."

"Davey's a verified wrangler, in my eyes! A wit-catcher! A rye-snatcher!"

"What? I don't even know what that means!" Charles grabbed his arm, "Seriously. Cut that out. What's gotten into you, anyway? You can stare down forty snipers on a mission with no sweat, but _Dave Panpa_ makes you ramble nonsense?"

"Oh, come off it, cunt!" Rupert ripped his arm away, "Like ya 'aven't been nerve-wracked by Henry before!"

"Yeah, but I get nervous when my _mom_ calls me, and she's the nicest person on planet earth! _You_ once drank moonshine on a dare and almost died of methanol poisoning!"

"Moonshine is pussy shit."

"It is _not!_ It's dangerous and illegal!"

"Yeah, but I wasn't even a cop yet, and I didn't brew that batch."

"Jesus christ..."

By now, Dave was in earshot, so Charles just let the issue drop. Maybe Rupert had a point when he worried about Dave picking up on his crazy side, considering the craziest thing Dave had ever done was stay out five minutes after curfew to see a boy he liked at the time.

Charles met Henry's eye, and he signed something that forced Henry to stifle laughter. Charles' wasn't great at sign, but he was picking things up. 

"What!?" Rupert snapped, "What'd ya say!?"

Charles repeated the sign, and Henry laughed again. He had wiggled the letter T in the air, then circled his lips with his pointer finger.

He'd effectively called Rupert a potty-mouth.

"You just repeating the sign don't help me, Charles!"

Charles snickered, "Nevermind that! Look who's behind you!"

Rupert turned, and his wide eyes landed on Dave.

Charles and Henry backed off to give them space, and Dave watched helplessly after them as he froze up in fear.

Henry shot him a thumbs up, mimed taking a deep breath, and then nodded with a smile.

Dave closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He steeled his nerves, frowning in determination before they opened again.

 _"RupertIlikeyou!"_ he forced out all in one breath.

Rupert was speechless. He took Dave's shoulders in both hands, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to find the words.

His gaze darted to Charles, who rolled his eyes.

 _"Please say something, Rupert."_ Dave trembled in pent-up anxiety, _"You're scaring me."_

After another moment of silence, Rupert replied, just barely loud enough to be heard, _"Will ya lemme kiss ya?"_

Dave turned bright red before his face broke out in a wide smile and he nodded vigorously.

As Rupert wrapped him up in his arms and kissed him square on the lips, there were exasperated sighs and exclamations of, "Finally!" and, "Took those idiots long enough!" It seemed that the entire base was following the drama of Rupert and Dave's maybe relationship. At least one thing was definitive now.

Charles held up his fist so Henry could bump it with his own.

Mission Complete!

***

Henry stood on a chair to stick more plastic stars to the ceiling. Once he stuck the last one he was holding, he stepped down to admire his handiwork before heading back to the bedroom where Charles was pulling his pajama shirt over his head.

"Hey, Henry." Charles pulled him into bed beside him, "How did you do that? I've never seen Dave so happy."

"Well, he had it in him the whole time, really." Henry replied, "He just needed to find his bravery."

"Dave _is_ pretty brave, usually. I know that much."

Henry snuggled into Charles' embrace, and Charles lost his smile.

"Henry..." Charles faced him from where they both lay on the pillow, "You were never...abused while in prison, right?"

"What? Oh, no. Never."

"Good." Charles breathed a sigh of relief, "I was worried for a second there. Rupert was pretty messed up when he realized how common it is for cops to abuse prisoners. It's part of what made him not want to be a cop anymore. I remember, he was a ball of righteous anger for three days straight."

"Really? When was this?"

"About a week before you stole the diamond."

"Oh." Henry hid his face in the collar of Charles' pajama shirt, "I do sometimes feel weird when I'm around Rupert, though. Remember earlier when he questioned if I was mute?"

"Yeah?"

"Well...I had a lot of nightmares while in prison, and my dad used to punish me for talking in my sleep, so I've always been scared that Rupert knows too much about me. He stood outside my cell for three weeks, so I was always within earshot."

"Oh." Charles kissed the top of his head, "Hey, if you did end up saying things in your sleep, I'm sure Rupert made an effort to not listen. He knows better than that, and if he knows something he probably shouldn't, you know he'll keep it to himself."

"I know. He wouldn't be your friend if he blurted everything he knew."

"Exactly. He's blunt, and maybe he teases people too much, but he means well. I think he's warming up to you."

Henry smiled at the thought, "Maybe. I certainly hope that your friends like me."

Charles held him close as he drifted off, and he couldn't help but thank whoever might be listening for letting him have this life.

***

**Author's Note:**

> Just so you know that Henry and Charles don't live in a vacuum. There are other things going on besides the two of them.
> 
> Come say hi to me on tumblr! marshemillow.tumblr.com


End file.
